YUM vs TCOM Comparison

Yum Brands is a US-based restaurant operator featuring a portfolio of four brands: KFC (29,900 global units at year-end 2023), Pizza Hut (19,866 units), Taco Bell (8,564 units), and The Habit Burger Grill (381 units). With $64 billion in 2023 systemwide sales, the firm is the second-largest restaurant company in the world behind McDonald's ($130 billion), ahead of Restaurant Brands International ($43 billion) and Starbucks ($29 billion). Yum is 98% franchised, with the largest franchisee, wide-moat Yum China, spun out in 2016, after which Yum China agreed to pay 3% royalties to Yum Brands in perpetuity. Yum is the newest evolution of Tricon, formerly a division of PepsiCo, and generates the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and marketing contributions.

Trip.com is the largest online travel agent in China and is positioned to benefit from the country's rising demand for higher-margin outbound travel as passport penetration is only 12% in China. The company generated about 78% of sales from accommodation reservations and transportation ticketing in 2020. The rest of revenue comes from package tours and corporate travel. Before the pandemic in 2019, the company generated 25% of revenue from international business, which is important to its margin expansion. Most of sales come from its online platform, but the company also maintains offline call centers. The competes in a crowded OTA industry in China, including Meituan, Alibaba-backed Fliggy, Tongcheng, and Qunar. The company was founded in 1999 and listed on the Nasdaq in December 2003.